Virgin Records Ltd. is a British record label founded by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman in 1972. It grew to be a worldwide phenomenon over time, with the success of platinum performers such as George Michael, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Roy Orbison, Devo, Tangerine Dream, Genesis, Keith Richards, the Human League, Culture Club, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, dc Talk, the Smashing Pumpkins, Mike Oldfield, Gorillaz, and Spice Girls, among others.
Motown Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.
Polydor is a British record label and company, that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. In turn, Polydor distributes Interscope releases in the United Kingdom. Polydor Records Ltd. was established in London in 1954 as a British subsidiary of German company Deutsche Grammophon GmbH. It was renamed Polydor Ltd. in 1972.
Okeh Records is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918.
The name was originally spelled "OkeH", formed from the initials of Otto K. E. Heinemann, but later changed to "OKeh".
Warner Music Group Inc. (WMG), also known as Warner Music, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "big three" recording companies and the third largest in the global music industry, after Universal Music Group (UMG) and Sony Music Entertainment (SME). Formerly part of Time Warner, the company was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange until May 2011, when it announced its privatization and sale to Access Industries, which was completed in July 2011. With a multibillion-dollar annual turnover, WMG employs more than 3,500 people and has operations in more than 50 countries throughout the world.
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock and roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong. Since 2009 Naxos has distributed Blu-ray discs, streaming web radio, and podcasts. Naxos allows members of subscribing public libraries and music schools such as Hong Kong Public Libraries, Auckland Libraries, Wellington City Libraries, and Toronto Public Library free streaming of Naxos classical and jazz collections.
Sire Records is an American record label that is owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.
ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels before ABC was sold to MCA Records in 1979. ABC produced music in a variety of genres: pop, rock, jazz, country, rhythm and blues, soundtrack, gospel, and polka. In addition to producing records, ABC licensed masters from independent record producers, and purchased regionally released records for national distribution.
Brother Records, Inc. (BRI) is a holding company established in 1967 that owns the intellectual property rights of the Beach Boys, including "The Beach Boys" trademark. Brother Records was also a record label founded by the Beach Boys' manager Nick Grillo in October 1966. For only a few months in 1967, it functioned as a vanity label with its output distributed by Capitol Records. From 1970 to 1978, the label was active again, this time with its distribution handled by Reprise Records.
Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asylum Records.
The Famous Charisma Label was a British record label founded in 1969 by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith. He had previously acted as manager for rock bands such as The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator. Gail Colson was label manager and joint managing director.
Manhattan Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and operates as a branch of Capitol Music Group.
Phonogenic Records is a record label currently under the RCA Label Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The label was originally conceived under BMG UK & Ireland. Acts currently signed to the label include: Natasha Bedingfield, Ross Copperman and The Script. Josh Krajcik, who came in second place on "The X Factor" U.S. in 2011, has signed a deal with Phonogenic Records. Sources say that Krajcik had offers from Sony Music labels Columbia Records and RCA Records, but Krajcik chose to sign with the smaller, boutique Phonogenic Records.
There were hints that Krajcik might sign with Phonogenic when he said on Twitter that he and Kipner were working together on Krajcik’s 2012 album. The album’s title and release date are to be announced. Krajcik is also collaborating with songwriters/producers Andrew Frampton and Julian Bunetta, who have also worked with Bedingfield. In 2008, Phonogenic Records partnered with Clikthrough Inc Official Site, to launch their artists on Clikthrough's interactive video platform. In December 2008, they launched with the first interactive video, "Breakeven" by The Script Breakeven Clickable Video. Subsequently they released three more interactive videos:
Aquarius Records is an independent record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
OVO Sound is a Toronto-based Canadian record label founded by hip hop artist Drake, Oliver El-Khatib, and long-time producer Noah "40" Shebib in 2012. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Warner Music Group's Warner Bros. Records.
CBS Records International was the international arm of the Columbia Records unit of Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (CBS) that was formed in 1961 and launched in 1962. Previously Columbia Records had been using other record companies to distribute Columbia recordings outside North America, such as Philips Records and its subsidiary Fontana in Europe.
GRT Records was the name of both a U.S. and a Canadian record label, both created by General Recorded Tape, that existed from 1969 to 1979. Their demise was concurrent with the bankruptcy of their owner, General Recorded Tape.
Jerry Jan Ross was an American songwriter, A&R man, record producer, and record label owner. As a writer, his greatest success was with "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," which he co-wrote with his protégé Kenny Gamble. His greatest successes as a producer include "Sunny" by Bobby Hebb, and "Venus" by Shocking Blue.
Jerry produced The Mob on their self-titled first album in 1970.
Maybach Music Group (MMG) is a record label imprint founded by American rapper Rick Ross. Maybach Music Group albums are distributed by Atlantic Records, a division of the Atlantic Records Group. Atlantic took over distribution following the expiration of a deal with Island Def Jam. As of December 12, 2012, the label releases are now distributed by Atlantic Records. 19 solo and three compilation albums have been released by Maybach Music Group, including five certified Gold albums. Although the label has failed to sign any female artists, Maybach is home to many successful artists such as Ross himself, Wale, Meek Mill, Omarion, Gunplay and Torch, among others. The label has also had seven albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200 such as Deeper Than Rap, God Forgives, I Don't, and Mastermind by Rick Ross, The Gifted and The Album About Nothing by Wale and Dreams Worth More Than Money and Championships by Meek Mill.
